In 1939, the first war was declared. Hitler had been preparing for expansion to Germany for years.
The war began with Germany’s invasion of Poland, and France and England declared war to try and stop Germany.
Using their new tanks, Germany conquered Poland, Belgium, Holland, and France very quickly
It was at about this time that Japan bombed pearl harbor, prompting the US to join in active combat.
Four key battles took place that turned the tide of the war:
Operation Barbarossa: Germany failed to make headway against the USSR
June 6, 1944 D-Day: The allies gained a foothold on mainland Europe near Germany
May 1942 The battle of the coral sea: A naval battle between Japan and the US, won by the US.
June 1942 The battle of Midway: another naval battle in which the US. crushed the Japanese
Over the remaining years of the war, Germany would get pushed back into it’s former footprint buy the USSR and the British and the US. It surrendered on May 8 1945.
The Atomic Bombs were dropped on Japan, and they surrendered shortly afterwards, on September 2 1945.
The war would go on to start tensions between the USSR and the US, which would go on to become the cold war.